One Good Conversation

One student discusses her transition into college life with a pandemic looming overhead

Morningside University Sophomore, Josie Dike, discusses the difficulties she faced coming into college while balancing making friends and staying safe through the Covid-19 scare.

Wyoming was relatively unaffected by the worldwide panic that hit because of the spreading Covid-19 virus. Mask mandates were not followed and the residents of Riverton, Wyoming did not conform to the quarantines that many others were facing.  Dike went from a state of little to no restrictions to one that took the impending pandemic very seriously. 

Morningside University began the school year with a mask mandate and a request that all students stay within their “family units”. Of the restrictions, dike stated that “It was frustrating going to college and not getting the freedom I thought I’d Have. I didn’t have an issue with the masks, It was more about how distancing made it harder to, make friends and be a part of the Morningside community.”

Dike was quarantined within the first few months of the semester. College students are known to struggle with mental health during their first few months at college. Many express feelings of anxiety and depression.

Dike stated that her mental health really took a dive due to her time in the Quarantine halls at Morningside University. “It began to feel like things were really hopeless because no one really knew what would happen next. In the long run, it made me stronger.”